Traditional rear view mirrors have been used in vehicles for a long time and, in recent years, they have been adapted to include a variety of electronic features such as auto-dimming features, built-in compasses, and integrated display screens, to cite a few examples. One of the newer developments involves the replacement of the traditional rear view mirror with an electronic display mirror that, instead of a standard mirrored surface, has an integrated electronic video display that is coupled to a rearward facing camera at the back of the vehicle and displays a video feed from the camera to the driver.
There are a number of reasons why an electronic display mirror may be preferable over a standard rear view mirror in certain vehicles. For example, current design trends tend to favor vehicles with beltlines and rooflines that result in small rear windows, and vehicle infotainment systems with drop-down screens and multi-row or tiered seating arrangements can block or otherwise obstruct a driver's view with a traditional rear view mirror. These, as well as other factors, can make it desirable to replace a standard rear view mirror with an electronic display mirror for certain vehicle applications.
One potential drawback of an electronic display mirror, however, occurs when the vehicle is towing a trailer that obstructs or blocks the rear facing camera. In this scenario, the electronic display mirror may be unable to show or alert the driver to the presence of a vehicle located behind the trailer (i.e., there may be one or more unseen vehicles in the camera's blind spot). The system and method described herein address this scenario.